RWD51 CONSENSUS-BASED GUIDANCE FOR BONE HEALTH OPTIMIZATION IN SPINE SURGERY

To develop consensus-based guidance for bone health optimization in instrumented spine surgery, specifically addressing the limited guidance available in the Thai context. The study utilized a modified Delphi technique, engaging 10 orthopedic surgeons from Thailand with expertise in complex spine surgery and osteoporosis management. A targeted literature review was conducted, followed by 2 online surveys and a face-to-face consensus meeting to develop and refine the statements. Twenty-five main statements and 45 substatements that focused on patient evaluation, assessment tools, and risk stratification were drafted for the panel's deliberation. There was unanimous agreement on the necessity of evaluating bone health before instrumented spine surgery in patients aged ≥60 years, while evaluation was considered optional for those aged 50 to 59 years. The panelists supported using the fracture risk assessment tool score for clinical evaluation and recommended using several assessment tools, including dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans for specific age groups, Computed Tomography Hounsfield Unit, Trabecular Bone Score, and vertebral fracture assessment for bone health evaluation if available. Treatment recommendations included bone-forming agents as the first-line therapy for patients at high risk and very high risk and specialized surgical techniques for patients at very high risk. Surgical delay of at least 3 months should also be considered for patients at very high risk/with severe osteoporosis who have been scheduled for instrumented spine surgery. This guidance includes patient screening, evaluation, and treatment for patients with poor bone health based on risk stratification, including normal/low risk, osteopenia/intermediate risk, osteoporosis/high risk, and severe osteoporosis/very high risk. Spine surgeons should be aware of poor bone health and consider bone health optimization to improve surgical outcomes and prevent osteoporosis-related complications. Bone health optimization is crucial for instrumented spine surgery. Spine surgeons should consider bone health optimization guidance, including patient screening for poor bone health, assessment tools for evaluating bone health, and treatment for patients with poor bone health, to improve surgical results and minimize poor bone health-related complications.

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are highly prevalent among older patients scheduled for elective arthroplasties and spinal surgeries. This position paper aims to establish, promote, and standardise effective Bone Health Optimization (BHO) strategies for such patients within orthopaedic practices in Malaysia. It emphasises the need for bone health assessments to be undertaken at the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative stages, with tailored management strategies to meet individual patient needs. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, focusing on articles published from 2019 to 2024. Twelve broad themes were defined including definitions and importance of BHO, epidemiological data, assessment techniques, risk stratification, management strategies, and outcome metrics. Elective surgeries on patients with poor bone health are associated with adverse outcomes, such as periprosthetic fractures, aseptic loosening of implants, and complications after spinal surgeries. This position paper advocates for routine bone health assessments and monitoring during the pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative phases. It provides summaries of imaging modalities, risk assessment tools, and techniques for each phase. By adapting the successful "5IQ" approach from secondary fracture prevention, we propose 5IQ-based Clinical Standards for BHO, including 18 Key Performance Indicators. A Malaysian BHO Registry is proposed to benchmark care in real-time and support a national quality improvement programme. Practical resources, such as a BHO algorithm and key practice points, are included. This position paper proposes a paradigm shift in the management of bone health for patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery in Malaysia, aiming to improve surgical outcomes and patient care through standardised BHO strategies.

Study Design Systematic review.Clinical Questions (1) What is the comparative efficacy of unilateral instrumentation compared with bilateral instrumentation in spine surgery? (2) What is the safety of unilateral instrumentation compared with bilateral instrumentation in spine surgery?Methods Electronic databases and reference lists of key articles were searched up to September 30, 2014, to identify studies reporting the comparative efficacy and safety of unilateral versus bilateral instrumentation in spine surgery. Studies including recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 as adjunct therapy and those with follow-up of less than 2 years were excluded.Results Ten randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria: five compared unilateral with bilateral instrumentation using open transforaminal or posterior lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF/PLIF), one used open posterolateral fusion, and four used minimally invasive TLIF/PLIF. There were no significant differences between unilateral and bilateral screw instrumentation with respect to nonunion, low back or leg pain scores, Oswestry Disability Index, reoperation, or complications.Conclusions The existing literature does not identify significant differences in clinical outcomes, union rates, and complications when unilateral instrumentation is used for degenerative pathologic conditions in the lumbar spine. The majority of published reports involve single-level lumbar unilateral instrumentation.

Aim: Improvements in transplantation medicine and surgery, anesthesiology, and postoperative care paved the way for successful procedures for transplant patients. The aim of the present study is to describe the results of surgical correction for spinal deformities in patients who underwent several types of organ transplantation. Methods: The study group consisted of ten patients with a history of organ transplantation who require spinal surgery with different etiologies. Seven (70%), two (20%) and one (10%) patient had lung, liver, and lung transplantations, respectively. The etiology for spinal surgery was spinal stenosis in six (60%), vertebra fracture in three (30%), and vertebral metastasis in one (10%) patient. Pre- intra- and postoperative radiological, clinical, and functional outcomes were noted. Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.1 (8.9) years, ranging between 38-62 years. Six of the patients were male, and four were female. Surgery time following the transplant surgery was 15.6 (2.1) months. The blood requirement in the operating room was 5.6 (0.8) units of erythrocyte suspension. Hospital length of stay was 8.5 (5.6) days following the spinal instrumentation surgery. Two patients had mild complications in the postoperative period. The preoperative VAS score significantly decreased from 6.4 (0.8) to 3.1 (1.6) after the surgery (P<0.001). Conclusions: Posterior spinal instrumentation on transplanted patients can be an effective treatment which improves the life quality of the patients. A multidisciplinary approach with an experienced team is highly required.

The efficacy of intrawound vancomycin powder and povidone-iodine irrigation to prevent surgical site infections in complex instrumented spine surgery

A retrospective cohort study. The aim of this study was to assess hospital resource utilization and costs associated with Staphylococcus aureus infection within 180 days post elective posterior instrumented spinal fusion surgeries (index surgery) between 2010 and 2015. Surgical site infections (SSIs) and blood stream infections (BSIs) post spinal fusion surgeries are associated with worse clinical outcomes and increased costs. Economic data specific to the most common pathogen of infections post spinal fusion surgeries, S. aureus, are limited. We analyzed hospital discharge and microbiology data from 129 U.S. hospitals in Premier Healthcare Database. Selection criteria included age ≥ 18 years; had a primary/secondary ICD-9-CM procedure code for index surgery; and had microbiology data during study period. Outcomes included total hospitalization cost, length of stay, and risk of all-cause readmission. Infection status was classified as culture-confirmed invasive (i.e., BSIs, deep or organ/space SSIs), any, and no S. aureus infection. Multivariable regression analyses were used to compare outcome variables between infection groups controlling for known confounders. Two hundred ninety-four patients had any S. aureus infection (151 had invasive infection) and 12,918 had no infection. Compared with no infection group, invasive and any infection groups had higher total hospitalization cost (adjusted mean in 2015 U.S. dollars: $88,353 and $64,356 vs. $47,366, P < 0.001), longer length of stay (adjusted mean: 20.98 and 13.15 vs. 6.77 days, P < 0.001), and higher risk of all-cause readmission [adjusted risk ratio: 2.15 (95% confidence interval: 2.06-2.25) for invasive and 1.70 (95% confidence interval: 1.61-1.80) for any infection groups]. S. aureus infections post elective posterior instrumented spinal fusion surgeries are associated with significantly higher hospitalization cost, length of stay, and 180-day risk of readmission than those with no such infection, which presents substantial burden to hospitals and patients. Reducing such infections may cut costs and hospital resource utilization. 3.

Intraoperative pulmonary fat and bone-marrow embolism is a serious complication of bone and joint surgery. We have investigated the occurrence and incidence of intraoperative embolism in patients undergoing elective lumbar spinal surgery with or without instrumentation. Sixty adult patients with lumbar degenerative disease were examined by intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography while undergoing posterior lumbar surgery. Of these, 40 underwent surgery with instrumentation and 20 without. Moderate to severe (grade 2 or 3 according to the grading scale of Pitto et al) embolic events were seen in 80% of the instrumented patients but in none of the non-instrumented patients (p < 0.001). The insertion of pedicle screws was particularly associated with large numbers of pulmonary emboli, while the surgical approach, laminectomy, disc removal and bone harvesting were associated with small numbers of emboli. We consider that, as in arthroplasty and intramedullary fixation of fractures, these embolic events are relevant to the development of potentially fatal fat embolism during spinal surgery.

Prognosis of deep infection in spinal surgery using implants, treated by retention, removal of bone graft and lengthy antibiotherapy

Antibiotic prophylaxis in high-risk pediatric spine surgery: Is cefazolin enough?

Intraoperative imaging is vital for accurate placement of instrumentation in spine surgery. However, the use of biplanar fluoroscopy and other intraoperative imaging modalities is associated with the risk of significant radiation exposure in the patient, surgeon, and surgical staff. Radiation exposure in the form of ionizing radiation can lead to cellular damage via the induction of DNA lesions and the production of reactive oxygen species. These effects often result in cell death or genomic instability, leading to various radiation-associated pathologies including an increased risk of malignancy. In attempts to reduce radiation-associated health risks, radiation safety has become an important topic in the medical field. All practitioners, regardless of practice setting, can practice radiation safety techniques including shielding and distance to reduce radiation exposure. Additionally, optimization of fluoroscopic settings and techniques can be used as an effective method of radiation dose reduction. New imaging modalities and spinal navigation systems have also been developed in an effort to replace conventional fluoroscopy and reduce radiation doses. These modalities include Isocentric Three-Dimensional C-Arms, O-Arms, and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging. While this influx of new technology has advanced radiation safety within the field of spine surgery, more work is still required to overcome specific limitations involving increased costs and inadequate training.

Is hospital information system relevant to detect surgical site infection? Findings from a prospective surveillance study in posterior instrumented spinal surgery

The purpose of this article is to introduce a new procedure for the surgical planning of thoracic anterior spinal instrumentation via endoscopy. For accurate and safe anterior screw insertion via the endoscopic approach, we devised a surgical plan based on the preoperative chest computed tomography (CT) findings obtained with radiographic markers. Using this method, we performed endoscopic thoracic spinal instrumentation surgery in 14 patients. Nine patients underwent anterior endoscopic correction and fusion of idiopathic scoliosis by Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation, and five patients underwent anterior endoscopic spinal fixation with instrumentation. The accuracy of screw insertion was evaluated postoperatively by CT scanning. One interbody fusion cage and 53 screws were inserted in the 14 patients using endoscopy. Postoperative CT scans revealed that the screws were all accurately inserted without any neurologic complications. In conclusion, using this novel procedure for surgical planning based on CT findings obtained with radiographic markers, anterior screws can be inserted safely and accurately via an endoscopic approach.

Study Design:Survey study.Objective:To determine the impact of osteoporosis (OP) in instrumented spine surgery among LatinAmerican spine surgeons.Methods:An electronic survey on aspects of instrumented spine surgery and OP was sentelectronically to all members of AOSpine Latin America (AOSLA): 16 multiple-choicequestions included incidence and type of complications experienced, strategies to avoidintraoperative complications, on prevention of complications and OP assessment andtreatment prior to surgery.Results:A total of 349 spine surgeons from a universe of 377 surgeons (230 orthopedic surgeonsand 147 neurosurgeons), associated members of AOSLA answered the survey. About 80%recalled complications directly related to OP and 71% had revised instrumentationbecause of OP-related complications. Techniques for prevention of intraoperativecomplications varied; 65% extended instrumentation to additional segments, 63% performedvertebral body cement injection alone or associated with instrumentation. Preoperativescreening was used by 19% but increased to 75% if patients had risk factors. A limitvalue of bone mineral density for delaying surgery was not established for 66.4% ofrespondents. Consultation for OP management was requested by 81%, mostly toendocrinology (56.3%). Interestingly, 19% personally managed their patient's OP.Conclusion:This study provides a global perspective on how Latin American spine surgeons managepatients with OP undergoing instrumented spine surgery. Most have faced complicationsassociated with OP and have had to resolve them surgically. Spine surgeons frequentlyparticipate partially in managing patients with OP. Most refer patients with OP fortreatment to the endocrinology.

Introduction The purpose of this study is to quantify the radiation exposure of the operating room personnel in fluoroscopy-assisted pedicle screw insertion during instrumented spine surgery, and to determine the protective effect of using a lead apron and increasing the distance between the subject and the X-ray source. Material and Methods We conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of personal dosimetry among the different members of the operating room personnel during 35 instrumented spine surgeries, using a pseudo experimental model (input–output) to determine the effect of protective measures (lead apron and distance from the radiation source). Statistical analysis was performed using a Student t test and one-way ANOVA. Results The mean radiation rate per procedure was 43.97 mGy (range, 12.3–137 mGy; SD = 30.9 mGy), with a mean exposure duration of 3 minutes and 6 seconds (1′14″–8′57″; SD = 2′02″). The use of a lead apron decreased the dose equivalent by 72.64% ( p = &lt; 0.00001). A distance of 70 cm from the fluoroscopy beam was associated with a 50.14% ( p = 0.0089) dose equivalent reduction, while at 1 meter a 60.56% ( p = 0.0013) reduction was observed. Finally, a distance of 1.5 m showed a reduction of 50.61% ( p = 0.023). No statistically significant associations between exposure reduction and distance from the radiation source were detected (difference: 0.0005, p = 0.714). Conclusion Our study confirms the effectiveness of the use of a lead apron and highlights the importance of its proper use for reducing radiation exposure during instrumented spine surgery. It also confirms the benefit of increasing the distance from the radiation source for reducing the equivalent dose received by the operating room personnel. However, we did not identify a proportional association between dose reduction and greater distance from the X-ray beam.

Background: Spinal instrumentation and fusion surgery presents the anaesthesiologist with multiple issues like intraoperative blood loss, hemodynamic changes, prolonged surgery etc, but the most probing aspect is analgesia. While both ketamine and dexmedetomidine as adjuvants have shown to decrease intraoperative anaesthetics and post operative analgesic consumption but there are no comparative studies. The primary aim of this study was comparison of post-operative analgesic requirements for 1st 24 hours after surgery when either of the drugs was used as adjuvants. Methods: Adult patients aged 18-60 years, of either sex, and ASA status I or II scheduled for elective lumbar spine instrumentation (of 2 or more spinal levels) surgery were enrolled for the study. Patients were randomised into one of the 3 treatment regimens ketamine/group K (0.5mg/kg bolus followed by 250 mcg/kg/h infusion), dexmedetomidine/ group D (0.5mcg/kg bolus followed by 0.5 mcg/kg/h infusion) or the placebo/ group S (saline/placebo). The study drugs were started after turning the patient prone. Data were recorded for intraoperative hemodynamics, anesthetic consumption (inhalational agent and opioids), emergence through RAS scale (Riker sedation agitation scale), PCA (patient controlled analgesia)-fentanyl use and VAS (visual analog scale) score in the 1st 24 hours after surgery. Appropriate statistical analysis was done. Results: A total of 42 patients (14 in each group) were enrolled. The total PCA fentanyl consumed in first 24 hours of surgery was maximum with the group-S (1366.6±382.6 mcg) in compared with group- D (1035.4±391.8 mcg) and group- K (1164.9±503.6 mcg) (P=0.13). The post extubation RAS score was lower in group-K (3.7±0.6) when compared with group-D (4±0.4) and group-S (4.5±0.9) (P=.009). Total intraoperative sevoflurane and fentanyl consumption showed no difference (P=0.19 and P=0.28). VAS score at rest was higher at baseline with group-S (P=0.009). The ICU stay was comparable (group-D: 1.4±0.5 d, group-K: 1.5±0.5 d, group-S: 1.9±0.5 d) among the groups. Hospital stay was also comparable (P=0.09). Conclusion: In patients undergoing lumbar instrumentation surgery, opioid consumption, VAS scores, PCA pump bad demands, inhalational agent consumption, hospital stay were comparable when either ketamine or dexmedetomidine was used as intraoperative anesthetic adjuvants.